Strip packaging machines



March 1, 1966 J. H. STROOP 3,237,369

STRIP PACKAGING MACHINES Filed Jan. 11 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvaw'ron JOHN /7.. 7PO0P J.H.STROOP STRIP PACKAGING MACHINES March 1, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 11, 1963 :2? INVENTOR JOHN H STAOOP United. States Patent 3,237,369 STRIP PACKAGING MACHINES John H. Stroop, New York, N.Y., assignor to Crompton 8: Knowles Corporation, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 250,910 3 Claims. (Cl. 53-180) This invention relates to strip packaging machines and has special reference to such as that shown and described in my U.S. Patent 3,054,236, issued September 18, 1962, entitled, Multi-Purpose Packaging Machine. Machines of this kind now normally operate to produce from 80 to 100 individual packages per minute for each row with which the machine is built. Assume, for example, the machine is made with eight rows, then from 600 to 800 small packages are produced per minute.

The packages come out of the machine like autumn leaves in a high wind, and according to this invention the packages are handled in an orderly fashion and are either advanced in predetermined stacking and cartoning operations or are accumulated in stacks so that they may be handled in group units if desired.

. Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily understood by reference to the drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective elevation of a machine of the type shown in my Patent 3,054,236 above referred to, with improvements and modifications which incorporate my present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the web into which four rows of packages have already been filled together with rotary cutters for slitting the wide web into individual package strips and transverse cutters adapted to cut off the individual package units from all of the package strips together with receiving channels for guiding the packages into receptacles.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation on a larger scale of what is shown in FIGURE 2, and FIGURE 3a is a plan view on the line 3a3a of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 4 is a partially sectional view showing in detail means at the foot of the channel through which the individual packages are conducted for slowing down the descent of each package and flattening it so that the con tents is well distributed therein.

FIGURE 5 shows one method of separating the packages and guiding them into independent receptacles.

FIGURE 6 shows one alternative arrangement, and FIGURE 7 shows another alternative arrangement to that shown in FIGURE 4.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the packaging machine here shown comprises a body 10 on which is mounted a hopper 11 which also constitutes a support for a plu rality of auger feed units 12 having a chain drive 13 and control solenoids 14 which correspond to the feed arrangement shown in my copending application Serial No. 69,911, filed November 17, 1960, now Patent No. 3,077,- 063, issued February 12, 1963. A unit 15 in which is mounted a pair of rotary dies 15a for forming longitudinal seals in the webs 16 and 17 is attached to the body 10 of the machine. Below the unit 15 is a unit 18 in which rotary dies 18a are mounted for the purpose of forming transverse seals and completing the individual packages, which however at this point are all joined by the webs 16 and 17. The units 15 and 18 are both attached to the body 10 of the machine as shown and described in my Patent 3,054,236. The webs 16 and 17 are produced by severing the web 20, which is mounted within the body of the machine on a suitable spool, not shown, and emerges through an opening 21, is guided by a roller 22 and moves upwardly close to the body of the machine, where it is slit into the two webs 16 and 17 in the usual manner.

The webs pass over guides 23 upwardly within the unit 15 and are provided with edge seals and longitudinal division seals as they pass through guide rollers mounted in the frame 15, as already described in my Patent 3,054, 236. Substance, such as powdered sugar, being packaged is advanced from the hopper 11 by the intermittent rotary action of the angers 12, and the longitudinal passages between the webs are formed into individual packages by the transverse roller dies mounted in unit 18.

The webs already filled with a large number of individual packages has the general form and appearance as indicated at 25 in FIGURE 2. The package web is subdivided longitudinally by rotary cutters 26 mounted on a cutter shaft 27. Below these cutters the web 25 is then split into four individual webs 28, 29, 30 and 31 WhlCh then proceed downwardly through shear cutters 35 which operate so as to make transverse cuts at the transverse sealing lines between packages. Thus below these shear cutters a plurality of individual packages emerge.

Hitherto the individual packages have been allowed to drop into a funnel-shaped collector, but they obviously jumble together and require much labor and pains to separate them.

According to this invention, I provide individual chutes which are of rectangular shape in cross section and of a size to permit the easy passage of the individual strip packages when filled.

As shown in FIGURE 2, four such chutes, marked A, B, C and D, alternately spread forward and back, the chutes B and D being curved forwardly in FIGURE 2, and the chutes A and C being curved backwardly.

Referring to FIGURE 3, which is drawn to a larger scale, chutes D and C are preferably made of thin strong metal and are formed with smooth inner surfaces. When a single package is cut off from the web, it instantly drops by gravity to the lower outlet end of its chute and is discharged into a collecting receptacle 32 from chute D or receptacle 33 from chute C. The receptacles 32 and 33 have holes 32 and 33', respectively, at the adjacent ends and between the receptacles is located a pneumatically actuated plunger 35 controlled 'by a switch valve mechanism 36. This is per se a conventional mechanism and causes the plunger to successively enter the holes 32 and 33 and push back the packages as they are introduced into the receptacles.

Referring to FIGURE 4, one of the chutes such as D is provided with side openings into which preferably rubber surfaced rollers 40 extend and are rotated in opposite direction by a pair of gears 41. These are continuously operated by a drive gear 42. As indicated by the arrow, the drive gear is rotated clockwise, and thus the gears 41 and the rollers 40 rotate as indicated by the small arrows. The rollers thus receive the package, such as 45, as it falls and advances it at a reduced speed. Also, the rubber rollers are spaced so that the package 45 is squeezed and its contents evenly distributed in the package. The package is thus reformed as desired into package 46 and is ready to be accumulated with others for sale and distribution.

Each of the chutes A, B, C and D is preferably provided with the mechanism of FIGURE 4, and uniform packages emerge from the chutes and enter the receptacles.

In case it is desired to fill four or more cartons in parallel, the arrangement of FIGURE 5 may be used. It should be understood that the packages actually do not move along the channels one closely behind the preceding, but the showing of packages in FIGURES 2, 5, 6 and 7 indicates the path taken by the packages in passing down through the chutes. The forming of packages at the fastest rate now known is much slower than the travel of each released single package under gravity control.

The arrangement of chutes may be such as shown in FIGURE 6, and cartons in lower and upper layers may thus be filled.

In FIGURE 7 two cartons, A and C, are filled by straight, vertical chutes and the other two, B and D, are filled by chutes which are bent forward.

Attention is directed to the fact that the cut between strip packages is extremely narrow; in fact, the strips are practically in contact. By directing adjacent chutes in somewhat divergent directions, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, and by providing an extension or attachment 50, which is slightly narrower than the strip at the upper end of each chute, the individual packages will be guided into their proper chutes. These extensions or attachments are referred to as diverters and are well shown in FIGURES 3 and 3a. It is also important to be sure the lower end package of each strip enters its chute, or at least rests on its diverter 50, by preferably more than 50% before it is severed from the strip as is indicated in FIGURE 2 by the position of the cut line 51.

While several alternative arrangements have been shown and described, many others may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention, and only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. In a strip packaging machine adapted to receive pairs of wide webs of packaging material, rotary dies for sealing the webs along parallel longitudinal lines,

chutes, said means comprising a pair of yieldable rollers spaced to correspond to the desired thickness of the individual packages mounted on parallel axes and means for driving the yieldable rollers in opposite directions to slow down the fall of the packages and to flatten them by distributing the material therein.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the peripheral speed of the rollers is less than the speed attained by the packages in falling from the transverse cutoif point to the bottom of the chute.

3. In a strip packaging machine adapted to receive pairs of wide webs of packaging material, rotary dies for sealing the webs along parallel longitudinal lines, rotary dies for sealing the webs transversely and means for filling the individual pockets as they are formed by the rotary dies, the combination of cutters for longitudinally slitting the webs into a plurality of strip packages, cutters for transversely cutting the webs at the transverse seals for segregating the strip packages into individual packages, at least one pair of adjacent chutes extending downwardly in slightly divergent paths and a pair of receptacles shaped to receive individual packages from the lower ends of the chutes and spaced from each other, a plunger mounted between the adjacent ends of the receptacles and means for causing the plunger to move first in one direction to push back the packages already in one receptacle and then in the reverse direction to push back the packages already in the other receptacle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,432,373 12/1947 Blearn et al 53180 XR 2,475,950 7/1949 Eaton 53-178 2,523,517 9/1950 Potter 53-78 XR 2,943,428 7/1960 Stroop 53--18 XR 3,139,713 7/1964 Merrill et al. 5378 X TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

A. E, FOURNIER, Assistant Examiner, 

1. IN A STRIP PACKAGING MACHINE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE PAIRS OF WIDE WEBS OF PACKAGING MATERIAL ROTARY DIES FOR SEALING THE WEBS ALONG PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL LINES, ROTARY DIES FOR SEALING THE WEBS TRANSVERSELY AND MEANS FOR FILLING THE INDIVIDUAL POCKETS AS THEY ARE FORMED BY THE ROTARY DIES, THE COMBINATION OF CUTTERS FOR LONGITUDINALLY SLITTING THE WEBS INTO A PLURALITY OF STRIP PACKAGES, CUTTERS FOR TRANSVERSELY CUTTING THE WEBS AT THE TRANSVERSE SEALS FOR SEGREGATING THE STRIP PACKAGES INTO INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES AND CHUTES OPENING IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE TRANSVERSE CUTTERS, SUCH CHUTES EXTENDING ALTERNATELY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, MEANS FOR RETARDING THE MOVEMENT OF THE PACKAGES AT THE OUTLET END OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CHUTES, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF YIELDABLE ROLLERS SPACED TO CORRESPOND TO THE DESIRED THICKNESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES MOUNTED ON PARALLEL AXES AND MEANS FOR DRIVING THE YIELDABLE ROLLERS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION 